Chapter 15
Three months later
Virginia
The Virginia cemetery was quiet and peaceful. More park-like than graveyard. Lily would have loved the view.
Garrett stood in front of her headstone, holding yellow tulips—her favorite. Damned impossible to come by in winter, but he had a standing order with a florist. He came here every year on her birthday. Sometimes on the anniversary of her death, too, though that was harder. Heavier.
Today, she would have been twenty-nine. A woman instead of the fourteen-year-old girl frozen in his memory. He tried to imagine her grown up—working, maybe married, definitely still making terrible puns and laughing at her own jokes.
He couldn’t. The image wouldn’t form.
Lily was forever fourteen. Forever lost. Forever his failure.
“Hey, Lily-bean,” he said quietly. The old nickname felt strange on his lips after so many years. “Happy birthday.”
The headstone didn’t answer. It never did. But Garrett talked anyway, like he always did on these visits.
“I kept my promise.” He brushed the powdery snow away, crouched, and placed the tulips at the base of the stone.
“I found CJ and protected her from Derek Sullivan—turns out he was there that night. Collin’s cousin.
He’s in federal custody now. The arraignment happened last month.
He’ll go to trial in a few months and then to prison for the rest of his life.
You’d be proud of CJ. She did an amazing job bringing a solid case against him. ”
The wind rustled through the trees. Birds sang from the skeletal trees.
“She’s safe. That’s what matters, right?” Garrett’s voice cracked. “I saved her. Just like I should have saved you.”
But the cost.
Three months. It had been three months since Claire had walked away from him at that police station in Montana. Three months of silence. Of her refusing his calls. Of carefully worded emails from her attorney—because yes, she’d gotten an attorney to handle any communication related to Derek’s case.
Please direct all inquiries through counsel.
Professional. Distant. Final.
“I screwed up, Lil,” Garrett said. He stayed crouched, staring at the headstone. “I lied to her about who I was. About you. About everything that mattered.” He laughed bitterly. “You’d be so disappointed in me.”
Lily had always been the honest one. The one who told the truth even when it hurt. Even when it would have been easier to lie.
Garrett had hidden. Had told himself it was for Claire’s protection, for the mission, for all sorts of noble-sounding reasons that were really just cowardice.
“I fell in love with her,” he said quietly.
“Your best friend. CJ. She’s... She’s incredible.
Smart and strong and brave. She saved Dr. Montgomery, the psychologist on my team.
Fought off Derek with her hands zip-tied.
She’s not the scared kid from that night.
She’s—” His voice broke. “She’s everything.
And I lost her because I was too afraid to tell her the truth when I should have.
I’m not Bobby anymore, and I just couldn’t admit it until it was too late. ”
Christmas was everywhere, even here in the cemetery, with pine wreaths and red and green bows. But not in his heart. That was forever frozen in Montana—in the moment Claire had looked at him like he was a stranger.
“I don’t know how to fix it,” he said. “Doc says to give her time. That she’ll come around.” He looked at Lily’s name carved in granite. Traced it with his fingertip. “But what if she doesn’t? What if I broke something that can’t be repaired?”
The cemetery was still quiet. Still peaceful. Still offering no answers.
Garrett stood. Brushed snow from his gloves. “I should go. I just wanted to... I wanted you to know I kept my promise. CJ’s alive. Safe. That has to be enough.”
Even if it felt like nothing at all.
“Bobby?”
Garrett froze.
That voice. He’d know it anywhere. In his dreams. In his nightmares. In every quiet moment of the past three months.
He turned.
Claire stood twenty feet away, holding yellow tulips. For a long moment, they just stared at each other.
She looked different. Thinner, maybe. Tired. Her hair was shorter—cut to her shoulders instead of past them. She was wearing jeans and a wool peacoat, not the professional suits he’d seen her in.
But her eyes were the same. Blue. Guarded. Looking at him like she wasn’t sure if she should stay or run.
“CJ,” Garrett said. Then caught himself. “Claire. I’m sorry. I didn’t—”
“I come here every year,” she interrupted. “On the anniversary of her death. But this year, I decided it was time to celebrate her life instead. I didn’t know you’d be here.” She looked at the flowers in her hand. “I should have realized you would.”
“I can go,” Garrett said. “Give you space. I don’t want to—”
“Don’t.” Claire took a step forward. “Don’t go. We should... We should talk.”
Garrett’s heart hammered against his ribs, hope soaring even as he tried to shut it down. “Okay.”
Claire walked to Lily’s grave and placed her tulips next to his. They both stood there, looking at the headstone. At the name. At the dates that were too close together.
“I testified at Derek’s preliminary hearing,” Claire said finally. “You probably know that.”
“I did.”
“He pleaded not guilty. The trial’s set for June.”
“That’s good.”
“I’ll have to testify again in detail. About that night. About everything.” Claire’s voice was quiet. “I’m not looking forward to it.”
“You’ll be strong,” Garrett said. “Like you always are.”
Claire peeked at him from the corner of her eye. “I wasn’t strong that night in Montana. I was terrified. I thought he was going to kill Vivi. That I was going to watch someone else I cared about die.”
“But you fought anyway. That’s what strength is.”
“I fought because I remembered what it felt like to be helpless. To watch Lily die and not be able to stop it.” Claire’s voice cracked. “I couldn’t let that happen again. Not to Vivi. Not to anyone. I got angry, like you told me to. It worked.”
“You saved her,” Garrett said. “You attacked Derek when it mattered and bought time for us to breach. That was all you.”
“He was choking me. I was losing consciousness. You pulled him off. You…” She heaved a deep sigh. “You saved me.”
“We saved each other.”
Claire was quiet for a moment. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
The question he’d been dreading for three months.
“Because I was a coward,” Garrett said. “Because I knew if I told you I was Bobby, you’d see me as the failure I was.” He paused. “And I wanted—just once—to be the hero instead. To keep you safe. To make up for not being there for you and my sister when I should have been.”
“It’s not the whole truth, though. Is it?” Claire turned to face him fully. “Vivi came to see me a few weeks ago when she was in town. She told me something.”
Garrett’s chest tightened. “What?”
“She said that saving me wasn’t just about you being a hero. It was about Lily. About making her death mean something.” Claire’s eyes were wet. “She said you needed to protect me because if you did, then Lily’s sacrifice wasn’t for nothing.”
Garrett couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe.
“Is that true?” Claire asked. “Did you take the mission because of Lily?”
He could lie. Could deny it. Could make it about duty or honor or professional obligation. But he’d lied to her enough.
“Yes,” Garrett said. “When Vivi showed me your file and told me what was happening, I knew I had to be the one to protect you. Because you tried to save my sister. And if I could keep you alive, then maybe—” His voice broke.
Claire was crying now. Silent tears tracking down her face. “So it was about Lily. Not about me.”
Garrett stepped closer. “It was about both of you. The moment I met you in Montana, I realized you weren’t just Lily’s best friend anymore.
You were brilliant and brave and strong.
You were the woman who’d survived hell and built a career catching monsters.
You were—” He stopped. “You were everything. And I fell in love with you.”
“You lied,” Claire said. Her voice was thick. “You slept with me while lying about who you were.”
“I was selfish,” Garrett said. “I wanted you so badly that I convinced myself the lie didn’t matter. That I could tell you after.” He looked at his boots, at the frozen ground. “There’s no excuse, Claire. I deceived you, I hurt you, and I’m sorry. More sorry than I can ever express.”
She was quiet for a long time. Long enough that Garrett thought she might just walk away. Leave him standing at Lily’s grave with his apology and his regrets. “Do you know the other reason I decided to come here on her birthday instead of the anniversary of her death?”
Garrett looked up, shook his head.
“Because I don’t want to remember the worst day of her life.
I want to remember her living, laughing.
Being Lily.” Claire pointed at the headstone.
“She was so full of life, even at fourteen. She loved boy bands and that silly bird game app. She wanted to save all the animals.” A sob broke through.
“And Derek and Collin took all of that away. Because they wanted to hurt me.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I know. Logically, I know. I’ve been in therapy again since Montana. Three times a week.” Claire laughed softly. “Dr. Nunnely says I have PTSD. Survivor’s guilt. Trust issues.” She looked at Garrett. “Abandonment issues, too. Because apparently, everyone I care about either dies or lies to me.”
The words cut deep.
“Claire—”
She held up a hand. “I’m not trying to hurt you.
I’m just—” She shook her head. “I’m being honest about how I feel about what you did.
” She paused. “I loved you, whoever you are now. I loved you. And when Derek said your name, when I realized you’d been deceiving me the whole time.
..” She pressed a hand to her chest. “It felt like dying. Like losing Lily all over again. Like I couldn’t trust my own judgment anymore. ”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I know you are.” Claire wiped her face. “But sorry doesn’t fix it. Sorry doesn’t make me trust you again.”
Garrett’s throat was tight. “That’s totally fair.”
“But,” Claire said, and his heart stuttered, “Vivi said something else when she came to see me. She said that what we had is worth fighting for.” She looked at him. “Is it? Is it worth fighting for?”
“Yes,” Garrett said without hesitation. “If you’ll let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it to you.”
“How?”
“However you need me to. Therapy. Time. Space.”
“I feel like I don’t know you.”
“You don’t. But I want you to. I joined the Navy and became a SEAL. I spent fifteen years learning how to protect people. How to be strong enough that no one I cared about would die on my watch again.” Garrett’s voice was rough. “And then Vivi showed up with your file.”
“So you took the mission.”
“I demanded the mission. Told Vivi if anyone else ran point, I’d quit.
” He looked at Claire. “Then I met you, and you were so much more than I expected. Stronger. Smarter. More beautiful.” He paused.
“I was terrified that if you knew who I was, you’d see me as Bobby, so I didn’t tell you.
I told myself it was to protect the mission, to keep you focused, but really—” His voice cracked.
“Really, I was just scared you’d reject me if you knew the truth. ”
“I might have,” Claire said quietly. “At first. The guilt about Lily—about surviving when she didn’t—it’s shaped my whole life. If I’d known you were her brother...” She trailed off. “I don’t know how I would have reacted.”
“That’s what I told myself. That I was protecting you from that conflict.” Garrett met her eyes. “But I was wrong. You deserved the truth. Deserved to make your own choice. I took that from you, and know it was wrong.”
Claire looked at Lily’s grave. At the tulips they’d both brought. “She would have liked you. The you that you are now. Garrett.”
“You think so?”
“She always said her brother was too serious. Too hard on himself.” Claire smiled slightly. “She’d probably tease you about the codename. ‘Wolf? Really, Bobby? That’s so dramatic.’”
Garrett laughed despite himself. “Yeah. She would.”
“I requested a transfer,” Claire said. “To the Missoula FBI field office.”
Garrett’s heart stopped. “What?”
“It was approved last week. I start the first of January.” She looked at him. “I’m moving to Montana.”
The sun felt warmer on his face. “Why?”
“Because Shadow Point Security is there, and a certain commander whom I’m still angry with and who I don’t completely trust yet is, too. But who I—” She stopped. “Who I’m not ready to give up on.”
Hope flared in Garrett’s chest. “That’s…more than I deserve.”
“It is, and I need time,” she said quickly. “And honesty. Complete honesty. No more secrets. No more lies—even the ones you think are protecting me.”
“No more secrets,” Garrett agreed. “I promise.”
“I mean it. If we do this—if we try—you have to be all in. No holding back. No ‘I’ll tell her later.’ Everything.”
“Everything,” he said, nodding like he’d lost his senses.
“I’m Garrett Cross. Former Navy SEAL. Commander of Shadow Point Security.
Brother of Lily Harper. And I’m in love with Claire Dawson.
Have been since the moment she learned her call sign was Paperclip and looked like she wanted to fight me about it. ”
Claire laughed. The sound was like sunshine after rain. “I hate that call sign.”
“I know. That’s why I like it.”
“Fury,” she corrected. “Remember? You said you’d change it.”
“Let’s hope you never need a call sign with my team again.”
They stood there in the cemetery, tulips at Lily’s grave, the sun warming the air around them.
“I’m scared,” Claire said quietly. “Scared of being hurt again.”
“I know,” Garrett said. “I’m scared too. Scared I’ll screw this up. Scared I’ll lose you again.” He held out his hand. “But I think Doc is right. What we have is worth fighting for.”
Claire looked at his hand. At his face. At Lily’s grave.
She slid her hand into his. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s try. But Garrett—“
“Yeah?”
“If you ever lie to me again, I will make you regret it. Professionally and personally.”
“Understood.”
“I’m not joking.”
“I know you’re not, and I believe you.”
Claire smiled. Small but real. “Good.”
They stood there, hands linked, at Lily’s grave. Not quite healed. But maybe on their way.
“Thank you,” Garrett said to the headstone. To Lily. To whoever might be listening. “For giving me this second chance. For—” His voice broke. “For everything.”
The wind rustled through the trees.
And Garrett could have sworn he heard Lily laughing.